lackey
Exam frequency
GRE
medium
Banks
medium
Civil Services
medium
Meaning(s)
an unquestioning follower or underling
How to Memorize
lackey - minion
Analysis
A ‘lackey’ is a person who does what someone, usually in authority, tells them to do without question. The word is most commonly used in a business context to describe an underling who will willingly do the menial, unpleasant job(s) their boss doesn’t want to do themselves. It is always used in a negative, disapproving way.
| Exams | Spoken | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | toady | ||
| Antonyms | independent,leader,domineering |
Example(s)
Tom does every little job that Jim asks him to do. He’s clearly his lackey.
It’s your responsibility to file those documents, not mine. I’m not your lackey!
Jane may be leading this project, but that doesn’t give her the right to treat us all like her lackeys!